Great Neck, NY

The large business facility at 1111 Marcus Avenue in Great Neck, N.Y., has been home to a succession of prominent businesses and activities since the early 1940s. The U.S. government built the facility in 1941, and for 10 years, it was operated under government contract by Sperry Gyroscope Company. The property even served as the United Nations headquarters from 1947 to 1952. Defense-related products were manufactured at the site through 1995 under a succession of defense-related companies.

In 1996, Lockheed Martin acquired the property when it bought a division of Loral Corporation, and in turn inherited the responsibility for the ongoing environmental cleanup of the Site. Today, the Site is owned by Apollo Lake Success Property LLC and 1111 Marcus Avenue Unit 2 Owners, LLC. The primary building on the property has been renovated and subdivided for commercial development. However, Lockheed Martin continues to be responsible for the cleanup.

As a result of historical operations, there are contaminants present at the Site in the groundwater, soil, sediments and soil vapor. Dry wells located near the southeast corner of the facility that were once used for liquid chemical disposal have been identified as the source and primary entry point for most of the subsurface contamination associated with the Site. Residual contamination also was identified in several other areas.

Environmental investigation and cleanup activities have been divided into two separate areas — cleanup at the Marcus Avenue site and cleanup of contaminants that moved off the site.

ON-SITE CLEAN-UP

The on-site environmental cleanup that began in the 1990s in accordance with the 1997 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Record of Decision is largely completed and in a maintenance and operations mode. The work included:

removing contaminated soil and sludge from three on-site dry wells,

installing a permanent on-site groundwater pump and treat system,

installing a soil vapor extraction area in the former dry well area,

creating an environmental easement that protects human health by limiting access and use of certain areas through deed restrictions and physical barriers.

Lockheed Martin has been investigating indoor air quality and sub-slab soil vapor conditions since 2007. In 2008, two temporary sub-slab depressurization systems were installed under the main building on the property. Sub-slab depressurization systems use a vacuum to collect soil vapor below the foundation of a building, clean it and move it to the outside before it enters the building.

Today, these systems are undergoing modifications and enhancements so they operate as one system to provide uniform coverage under the entire building. In addition, Lockheed Martin continues the cleanup of the several areas where residual contamination was found in the soil.

OFF-SITE CLEAN-UP

In addressing off-site contamination, which has been found in groundwater near the site, Lockheed Martin is using an interim groundwater pump and treat system until the long-term solution is identified. The system, which is located north of the Site, pumps about 500 gallons of water per minute out of the ground, cleans the groundwater, and releases the treated water back to the aquifer.

Lockheed Martin conducteda Remedial Investigation (RI) to determine the extent of the plume and a Feasibility Study (FS) to evaluate ways of cleaning it up. The final RI/FS reports have been submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

IN THE NEWS

Lockheed Martin would continue treating contaminated groundwater at and around a North Hempstead property it once owned under a plan proposed this month by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.read more